Chapter 10

Lulu was furious today.

She felt that everyone was far too superficial. How could they easily swoon over a jaw-droppingly handsome Alpha just because he effortlessly suppressed a dozen other Alphas?

Asher was clearly more beautiful, Asher looked way hotter playing basketball, and Asher was the one who actually crushed Sterling to deliver true justice.

Furthermore, Asher was so warm and fiery, just like the sun. How could he possibly lose to that ice-cold man?

This crowd was simply superficial.

So furious.

She would protect the best boy in the entire world!

Thus, the Asher Fan Club was officially established.

However, what brought her a bit of joy was that the club boasted a solid number of members, all of whom cast their votes for Asher.

Most crucially, she had secured an exceptionally great vice-president.

Although the vice-president had only joined using a secondary messaging account and found it inconvenient to disclose their real name, they were incredibly generous. They actively covered the costs of the milk tea for the fan club and passionately cheered for Asher.

As long as you love Ash, we are sisters from different parents.

Lulu happily added this new friend, whose account name was "BS," into her contacts list.

[Ash is the absolute best! We must work hard to rally more votes tomorrow! We can't let our boy lose to that expressionless ice sculpture!]

Sebastian "The Expressionless Ice Sculpture": ...

[Alright.]

Sebastian put down his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose. Recalling something, a soft smile suddenly broke across his face.

In truth, he also believed the boy was more beautiful.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never quite encountered another child who was more stunning than him.

The next morning, the moment Asher got into the car, he closed his eyes and buried his head into his jacket to sleep.

Sebastian looked at his occasionally trembling eyelashes and his slightly flushed earlobes, choosing not to call him out.

However, Asher truly was exhausted. He hadn't slept well at all the entire night.

He had gone to bed early, telling himself that he shouldn't waste his mind keeping score with those boring people.

Yet the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He grew so frustrated that he was still wide awake at two-thirty in the morning. Enraged, he pulled out his phone in the dead of night to continue the text battle.

He simply couldn't comprehend how those people's eyes were structured. How could they possibly think Sebastian was more handsome than him? More Alpha than him? More charming than him?

It defied all logic. Infuriating.

Furthermore, thinking about how he had been caught red-handed by Sebastian while posting those threads made him feel as though he cared too much about the matter. It made him look petty, nagging, and completely lacking in style, which only fueled his fury and humiliation.

In all his years, when had he ever encountered such an embarrassing plight?

It was solid proof that he and Sebastian were astronomically incompatible.

Fortunately, it seemed he now had a fan club with quite a few members, so he probably wouldn't lose the poll.

With these thoughts spinning all night, it wasn't until he sat inside the car that morning that he finally drifted into a hazy sleep.

He ended up sleeping all the way until they reached the classroom.

Mr. Bennett stood on the podium, staring fixedly at the corner by the window for a full three minutes.

Two grand lords. One grand lord was sleeping, while the other was hammering through a science exam paper.

They possessed absolutely zero awareness of having been hauled into the office for discipline just yesterday!

Thank goodness he had downed a bottle of calming tonic before coming to work today.

Utilizing a peaceful and gentle tone, he offered a roundabout reminder: "Sebastian, it’s not really a solution to let your desk-mate sleep like this."

Sebastian looked up, thought for a brief second, and pulled the luxury blanket hanging over Asher's back to cover him properly. Then, he lowered his head to continue grinding through his problems.

Mr. Bennett: "..."

Was I worried about him catching a cold?

Whatever. One must be forgiving, warm, and as soothing as a spring breeze toward students. In any case, as long as they brought back the number one spot in the upcoming five-school joint exam, everything would be fine.

He turned his head a full 180 degrees, opting for the "out of sight, out of mind" approach. "Let's review the upcoming schedule for senior year. On the 28th and 29th, we have the five-school joint exam. Everything will strictly follow the regulations of the national university entrance exam. The scores will also be factored into the evaluations for university recommendations and early recruitment slots. Please ensure you give this your absolute priority."

The classroom slumped into a sea of groans and heavy sighs.

"On the 30th and 31st, all teachers will be grading the papers. No classes will be held, and full-day self-study is arranged. Please ensure you cherish your time and strictly adhere to self-study discipline. Anyone who violates school rules during this period will have to read their self-reflection speech at the school opening ceremony!"

"Argh—"

"Alright, drop that half-dead tone. Tighten your focus; school officially starts in just a few days. The opening ceremony is on the first. Everyone must wear their school uniforms, and don't be too blatant with your phones and takeout orders. I give you freedom, but don't cross the line. Otherwise, if you crash right into Mr. Peng, it’ll be trouble for both you and me. Hear me?"

"We—hear—you—"

"Look at you all!"

Although the students of Class 1 maintained the mischief and vitality expected of teenagers at this age, and were quite arrogant due to their smooth sailing lives, never failing to cause their fair share of trouble, their moral characters remained upstanding, and they all knew where they stood regarding their studies.

Even a young master like Asher never slacked on the practice problems he needed to complete.

They were all just slackers on the surface.

Therefore, Mr. Bennett didn't always keep a heavy hand on them.

Leading up to the joint exam, the entire class did indeed behave noticeably better. The only real commotion was the speech under the national flag that Sterling had been forced to deliver by Asher.

"I was wrong! I was truly wrong! As an Alpha, I should never have spoken vulgar words toward an Omega! I must resolutely implement the concept of gender equality! Respect every single Omega!"

"I should also never use foul language! I shouldn't fill every other sentence with insults directed at someone's elders! As a student of Riverdale Prep, I must reflect the quality of our school! Become a proper human being before becoming a talent!"

"Finally, Ash is awesome! Ash is the most handsome! Ash is number one in the universe! When you smile, your eyes are like the morning sun in April; when you are silent, they resemble the bright moon on an autumn night. Your lips are like the most delicate rose petals, your skin is like the pristine snow of early winter, and your posture is as elegant and straight as a green pine under the moonlight in a mountain valley. I have never seen a man so staggeringly handsome..."

This kind of embarrassing, parallel arrangement of colorful praise compiled exactly ten thousand words. Right during dinner time, beneath the national flag, holding a megaphone, he delivered it with his thick and powerful voice with full emotion and agonizing effort, until his voice turned completely hoarse.

Facing the threat of violence from Asher and Sebastian, Sterling could only tuck in his tail.

After all, though he was a bit of a rogue, a bit shameless, and lacked perfect morals, he was still a registered high school student. If things genuinely escalated to the point of ruining his plans to study abroad, leaving his future uncertain, his father would beat him to death.

Therefore, even if he was entirely reluctant, he had to deliver the exact apology method Asher had orchestrated.

However, wanting to drag someone down with him, the podium was the definitive path from the North Building to the cafeteria and the convenience store. With people constantly coming and going, he didn't believe Asher wouldn't find this humiliating.

As it turned out, while he roared on the stage until his face turned red and his neck strained, Asher stood below the stage chewing on an ice pop, listening with immense interest, occasionally offering a few critiques.

"Your pronunciation of 'insolent' was wrong. Did you even pass your middle school literature exam?"

"The metaphors are quite vivid, and the prepositions are rather rich without repeating themselves. I’ll give you an extra five points for that."

"'Delicate rose petals' won't do. I don't like it; it's too effeminate. Change it to something else."

"Am I merely handsome?"

Sterling: "..."

Have some damn face.

Finally, the concluding remarks: "Uh, that final section, starting from 'Ash is awesome,' do it one more time. Put some more emotion into it."

Sterling: "..."

Holy sh—.

Take a deep breath. Don't get angry. No one cares if you ruin your own health.

"Ash is awesome! Ash is the most handsome! Ash is number one in the universe! When you smile, your eyes are like the morning sun in April..."

Asher listened intently, nodding with satisfaction, and casually intercepted Sebastian who just happened to be passing by. "Since you're passing by, why don't you stop your steps and listen to the voice of the masses alongside me?"

Milo, who was responsible for recording the audio and video nearby: "..."

For some reason, he felt that the Ash of today appeared to be exactly three years old.

As for why that big shot, whose entire being screamed "I am highly noble and cold," actually stopped his steps to listen along, he knew even less.

And he didn't dare ask.

The five-school joint exam was a collaborative examination organized by the best key high schools in the city, with the other four being High School No.1, No.7, No.4, and No.9.

In the past, the top scorers of the university entrance exams were always monopolized by those schools, but in recent years, Riverdale Prep had begun to make its mark, making it the sole private school in the mix.

This exam completely simulated the real university entrance exam. To cultivate the proper atmosphere, the exam seats for all candidates across the five schools were given a unified serial number, randomly shuffled and distributed.

Asher got lucky and remained stationed at Riverdale Prep.

Sebastian’s luck wasn't as great; he was assigned to High School No.1.

Not No.4, No.7, or No.9—as fate would have it, it was exactly High School No.1.

On the morning of the exam, Sebastian took his family's car straight to the High School No.1 campus, failing to cross paths with Asher.

Asher figured that Sebastian was a grown man who was exceptionally skilled at acting cool; even if he was revisiting old haunts, nothing should go wrong.

Yet after finishing the Literature exam, he couldn't completely settle his mind.

That incident years ago wasn't Sebastian's fault, but it could very well remain a psychological knot for him.

The guy looked cold, but his mind was more delicate than anyone else's. In case he ran into some old acquaintances, came across some past scenes, or recalled some unpleasant memories that affected his performance and caused him to miss the top five, resulting in a disciplinary black mark, how could he face Grandpa Henry?

He didn't care about Sebastian's sensitive inner world; he simply felt that he couldn't let Sebastian suffer a punishment because of him.

Asher convinced himself, then pulled out his phone to send Sebastian a WeChat message.

[I did pretty well on this Literature exam. You better be careful, don't find it too humiliating when you have to call me 'Dad' in front of everyone later.]

When Sebastian received this message, he was washing his hands. The school, where the exam had concluded half an hour ago, was virtually empty. The restroom was dead quiet, the tap running with a hollow echo.

He shifted his head to look at the phone screen that suddenly illuminated on the sink counter, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upward.

Even across a cellular network, he could easily deduce a certain someone's awkwardly twisted thoughts.

Turning off the tap, he shook the water from his hands. Just as he was about to pull a paper towel to dry his skin, he caught a silhouette in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. The smile that had just formed on his lips flattened into a straight line once more.

The person stood at the doorway, half of their form submerged in the shadow of the wall corner, entirely motionless like a ghost.

They looked at Sebastian in the mirror, speaking in a low, eerie voice.

"You're back, then."